If a person is arrested on a DUI charge, he or she will be required to attend at least two court hearings. The first hearing will be an arraignment. At the arraignment, the defendant is advised by the presiding judge of what he or she is charged with and what it’s punishable by. A plea of not guilty is entered, and the case is continued, usually for a pretrial conference and the possible entry of a guilty plea. All such court dates are held in public courtrooms.
If a person is so disposed, he or she can sit in a DUI courtroom on a daily basis and watch these public proceedings. That’s not against the law at all. Records are made by the court clerk of what transpired in every case, and they’re updated every time that a DUI defendant appears in court. They’re also available for photocopying.
A decision to seal court records must be pursuant to court order and for good cause. For example, if a person was charged with DUI, and the case was dismissed, or he or she was found not guilty, the information in the court’s file might be sealed or expunged pursuant to a petition and court order. It would be highly unusual if DUI records were not made available to the public. The right of the public to access them is essential to the integrity of the court system.
Coeur d’Alene DUI Lawyer
If you have been charged with DUI, contact our Idaho DUI defense lawyer regarding any questions you may have about DUI charges in Washington or Idaho and how they may affect you. As always, we don’t charge anything for the initial consultation.
